If you buy a home in Claypool this fall, your sewer bill goes up on January 1, 2027. That is the third and last step of a 37% rate increase the town council approved in July 2025. The increase pays for a wastewater plant upgrade, and town officials have tied the proposed housing addition to that added capacity. KEDCO's target price range for its workforce housing, the mid-$200,000s to $300,000, includes the county's September 2026 median sale price.
The bill that changes on January 1
According to InkFreeNews coverage of the July 2025 vote, the council set the increase in three phases:
- 12% effective October 1, 2025
- 10.97% effective July 1, 2026
- 9.93% effective January 1, 2027
The first two steps are already on residents' bills. The third falls in the middle of the winter closing season. Sources give slightly different numbers for the final bill. At a Kosciusko County Council meeting in November 2025, a speaker gave the rate as $76 a month for 4,000 gallons and said it would land "right at" $100 after all three phases. Earlier, a June 2025 rate study reported by the Times-Union projected $106.77 in 2027 for a 4,000-gallon user. Both are estimates. If you're budgeting for a Claypool home, plan on roughly $100 to $107 a month for sewer alone, and ask the seller for recent bills so you can compare.
What the rate increase pays for
The money goes to a wastewater and stormwater project that broke ground on November 6, 2025. The work installs a Submerged Attached Growth Reactor biological treatment system and UV disinfection at the plant. It also cleans and rehabilitates collection lines, improves stormwater collection, and replaces aging infrastructure.
For housing, the capacity number matters most. County officials put the plant's current capacity at 33,600 gallons per day and expect the upgraded plant to handle 56,000 gallons per day. Every new house in town would send its wastewater to that plant.
| Piece of the project | What the public record shows |
|---|---|
| Reported budget | $4,612,000 |
| Indiana Finance Authority financing | $2.06 million in 2025 sewage-works revenue bonds and $1.6 million in bond anticipation notes |
| SRF loan terms | 0% interest over 35 years, with $1.6 million in forgivable loan dollars |
| OCRA grant | $750,000 |
| K21 Health Foundation | $200,000 |
| County contribution | $250,000 from the Louis Dreyfus TIF district |
| Contractor | Crosby Construction, paid almost 94% of its contract as of August 2026 |
The county's $250,000 is tied closely to Claypool's biggest employer. According to InkFreeNews, a county official told the council that Louis Dreyfus is the system's single largest user, at roughly 12% of its load. The redevelopment commission moved $176,000 that had been set aside for a ditch improvement inside the Louis Dreyfus TIF district and added $74,000 to reach the full amount. Louis Dreyfus Company has run its soybean processing plant in Claypool since 2007, and the town's own site also lists Tecomet Industries as a local employer.
At the time of that November meeting, a county official estimated about a year to completion. The public record doesn't yet show a confirmed finish date. The August payment report is the latest construction status we found.
The housing addition that depends on it
The upgraded plant affects more than current bills. In January 2026, the Kosciusko Economic Development Corporation presented the Claypool Town Council with a memorandum of understanding for a new housing addition. The agreement would bring together the town, KEDCO, Club 720 and the owners of the land. InkFreeNews reported that the homes would be built on site, not manufactured, and that the landowners were willing to annex the property into town. Dawn Wilkinson, KEDCO's director of projects and operations, called it "our catalyst site" and said Claypool would be "the first ones out the gate."
When a resident asked whether the town's infrastructure would be big enough for the new houses, Council Member Gene Warner linked the two projects directly:
"Wastewater's coming in and we're getting it upgraded so we can handle more. Everything's coming into effect all at once."
The council didn't approve the agreement that night. It asked for time to review it, including a legal review. By February 10, 2026, minutes from the Kosciusko County Redevelopment Commission recorded that Claypool had signed. KEDCO was then doing due diligence on property next to the town, with annexation part of that review.
How the project is paid for is unusual. In January, KEDCO said pre-development costs would come from the funds the county budgets for it each year and from the Orthopedic Industry Retention Initiative. In February, KEDCO's talent and housing manager, Jessica Hauck, told the redevelopment commission that KEDCO had chosen not to use tax increment financing. She said that "because of SB 1, most of the predevelopment funding we are working with is coming directly out of special project dollars from the community." KEDCO also said it would work with employers, including Louis Dreyfus and Slate Auto, so that their employees are ready to buy when the homes are finished.
The workforce price range includes the county median
The February minutes give KEDCO's target price range for its proposed developments as the mid-$200,000s to $300,000, with affordability as the main goal. The minutes describe that range for the program generally, not for Claypool alone.
Compare it with the market. According to the Indiana Association of REALTORS September 2026 report for Kosciusko County, the countywide median sale price was $280,000, down 10% from September 2025. The same report shows 81 closed sales in September 2026, down 21% from a year earlier. Average daily inventory was 302 homes, up 13%. Supply stood at 3.9 months, and the median time from listing to pending was 40 days.
KEDCO's range runs from somewhat below that $280,000 all-residential median to somewhat above it. Final prices for any Claypool homes haven't been published, but the target sits near the middle of the county's September 2026 market. Building new homes at that level is difficult here. The Kosciusko County Community Foundation's 2024 affordable housing study found that people working in local housing pointed to rising construction costs, appraisal limits and loan-to-value constraints. It also reported that few for-profit developers can make affordable projects work in rural areas, because higher interest and construction costs leave thin profit margins. Claypool was among the towns those interviewed named most often as a priority location for affordable housing. In April, KEDCO reported that Claypool pre-development work was continuing with Club 720 and emphasized creative capital stacking to reduce lot costs and support attainable workforce housing.
Possible buyers are coming. In a Times-Union report on September 18, 2026, Slate Auto said it had more than 500 full-time employees in Warsaw and plans for 2,000 at full capacity. Its plant HR lead said hiring for a second crew would begin in mid-December.
Note that the September 2026 figures are countywide. We didn't find a 2026 Claypool-only median price or sales count from an independent source.
Built, approved, or still on paper
Claypool has several projects in motion, and they're at very different stages:
- Under construction: The wastewater and stormwater upgrade. Almost 94% of the contract had been paid as of August 2026.
- Signed, not yet built: The housing addition MOU. No public unit count, final site, annexation vote or construction schedule yet.
- Waiting on grants: A town park near the town building, estimated at about $750,000 in August. Plans include a playground, basketball court, pavilion, walking paths, sidewalk and parking lot. In June, InkFreeNews reported that Zach Dripps of the Michiana Area Council of Governments told the council "we're not committed to this project until we get all the other financing arranged."
- Application approved by council: The deadline was the end of September for a 2027 Community Crossings grant request for Calhoun Street milling and paving, sidewalk replacement, stump removal and new stop signs. The total estimate is $252,295, with $59,414 as the town's share.
- Approved: $27,500 for Clay Tree Services to trim roughly 90 to 100 trees along town roads, giving school buses and trash trucks more clearance.
The next council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 20, at the Lions Club building. The housing addition and the park will likely be updated there first.
FAQ
Can I reserve one of the new Claypool homes now? The public reports we reviewed don't describe a sign-up process or a price list. In January, KEDCO said Club 720 could provide a platform where prospective buyers can express interest in a Claypool home.
Does the sewer rate keep rising after January 2027? The ordinance approved in July 2025 has three phases, and January 1, 2027 is the last one.
Claypool's sewer rates, the plant's progress and the housing addition all come up at Claypool Town Council meetings. Deb Paton Showley Group keeps up with those meetings across Kosciusko County, and we're happy to go over current utility bills, timing and the progress on Claypool's housing addition as you compare it with other towns in the county.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
